Sign and method of making same



T. B. LAKIN SIGN AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed July 29, 1937 May 2, 1939.

@EAUTFY INVENTOR. THERON BLAKIN HIS ATTORNEY.

Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES SIGN AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Theron B. Lakin, La Salle, Ill.

Application July 29, 1937, Serial No. 156,374

Claims.

This invention relates to illuminated or translucent signs and particularly to signs made of translucent flexible material, such as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, collodion, Cellophane and similar substances.

Signs of colored translucent material are quite often made by affixing the translucent material onto glass and the like or by securing the material onto or between mats having windows therein for exposure of the material therethrough, the translucent material itself or the windows quite often being in the form of designs or letters.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to treat the translucent material used for the sign so as to produce a medium having variegated refractive and reflective power and transparency such that when the sign is viewed from the front with a light passing there- 20 through from behind, the material has a somewhat variegated crystalline appearance which is richer than that produced by the uniform smooth surface of the material before the treatment of the present invention.

Another object is to provide translucent signs in which the translucent portions have contrasting refractive and reflective power.

Another object is to provide a translucent sign which, while having areas of variegated refrac- 1 tive and reflective power with respect to each other, tend toprovide a more uniform distribution of the light with respect to the sign as a whole as distinguished from those signs wherein the light is to disproportionately intense directly in line with the source of illumination.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from .the following specification, wherein reference is made to the drawing, in which:

Fig.1 is a front elevation of the sign made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the portion of the sign illustrated in Fi 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on a plane indicated by the line l--4 in Figs. 3 and 1;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a modification of the sign; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 in Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, there is illustrated a sign comprising a glass or other translucent plate I to one face of which, preferably the inside face, there is afiixed a multi-color portion of the sign. In the form illustrated, the multi-color portion of the sign comprise-s an opaque mat 2 which is folded upon itself and is provided with aligned windows, the translucent material indicated at 3 being received between the folds of and supported by the mat 2 and preferably being of double thickness, as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

The mat is preferably of opaque paper of the desired color and surface characteristics. The translucent material is preferably tough and flexible such, for example, as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, collodion, Cellophane, and similar substances, and may be any desired color.

Fig. 1 illustrates one of the effects to be obtained with the sign therein, two sections of aligned windows are shown as defining the silhouette of a womamthe portions i of the head of the window defining the face and neck, and the portion 5 defining the hair, these Window portions being separated by a very narrow bridge 6. The bridge 6 may be a part of the paper of the mat, a wire, or if desired, it may be defined merely by overlapping the two portions of the translucent matter or by heavily treating the material exposed through the window portion 5 along the line defined by the bridge 6. In the latter instance, of course, no bridge would be provided. However, it is usually desirable that the figure be in more than one color, and the bridge 6 is preferred at the line of division of the two colors. For example, assuming that the section of the silhouette defined by the window portion 4 is to be of translucent material of substantially uniform surface characteristics, and the section defined by the window portion 5 is to be variegated in refractive and reflective powers so as to give the appearance of waved hair in contrast to the smooth appearance of the face. In such instance, a double sheet of translucent material 1 is mounted and supported between the mat portions 2 so as to overlie the window portions 5 and extend therebeyond and overlie the lettering indicated at 8. Another double sheet of translucent material is disposed and supported between the mats and overlies the window portions 4 and the printed matter'indicated at 9. For instance, the window portions 4 and the windows definingthe printing 9 may be overlaid with pink translucent material, and the window portions 5 and the windows defining the printing 8 may be overlaid with yellow translucent material.

In order to give the variegated refractive power to the portion of the material exposed through the windows 5, the material is coated with an adhesive solution or solvent which tends to draw and wrinkle that portion of the translucent material. This adhesive or solvent agent likewise should be translucent so that upon drying it tends to form a coat of varying thickness. The solution applied preferably is one which will dry quickly so as to enhance the wrinkling effect and likewise should be one of which the solvent partially dissolves the translucent material.

The material used for causing the variegated refractive power and wrinkling effect of the translucent material is preferably a glue or gum including a hydrocarbon solvent. It has been found that Test'ors cement, which appears to be a solution of translucent cellulose material and is made by the Testor Cement Company, Lockwood, Illinois, is highly satisfactory for the purposes recited. The solvent in this cement has the quality of partially dissolving the Cellophane and of drying rapidly, thus changing the surface characteristics ofthe Cellophane both chemically and mechanically. Likewise, this cement is translucent, and upon drying, forms a coat of variegated thickness, giving the desired crystalline effect through the translucent material. Other solutions operative in the same manner with respect to the particular translucent material used maybe employed. The Cellophane is preferably one that is not moisture-proof. The same cement that is used for giving the required variegated effect is used for causing adherence of the Cellophane or translucent material to the mats or glass or other-support to which it is affixed.

Referring next to Figs. 3 and 4, the sheets of Cellophane so treated draw and-Wrinkle, as indicated at 10. Furthermore, the-differences in thickness of the deposited solute, indicated at I I and remaining upon evaporation of the solvent, likevvise'tends to cause difference in the reflective and refractive powers of thematerial; By exercisingtcare in the application of thexsolution', the uniform variegated effect for localized areasJmay be obtained, thus giving the effect of the hair be ing waved in the window 5.

Another advantage of thesign resides in the fact that the light from the :source is diffused more nearly uniformly .over the sign as a whole instead of being unduly intense directly in line with the source of light.

The cementitiousmaterial may be appliedbetween the sheets or folds of the Cellophane and the two sheets pressed lightly together so that occluded air and air entrapped between the sheets of the Cellophane or translucent material are retained and thus further enhance the variegated effect.

Referring next to Figs. Sand 6, there is illustrated a modification of thesign in which two plates of glass are utilized and pieces of Cellophane 16, each of which maybe of'a different color, are disposed 'therebetween; the pieces being coated'with the solution preparatory to their mounting between pieces of glass 15. By utilizing different colors of'translucent material and treating eachin varying degrees with the solu-- tion oradhesive, numerous possible combinations of lighting effects maybe-obtained.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim:

1. The method of imparting variegated refractive and reflective powers to the surface of translucent cellulose sheet material for use in illuminated signs and comprising applying to the surface of the sheet a cementitious solution comprising translucent cellulose material dissolved in a solvent, which solution affects the translucent sheet material, and evaporating the solvent thereby causing the deposition on the surface of the translucent material of a translucent solute of variable thickness at different areas of the translucent sheet material so that the resulting surface of the composite material becomes furrowed and wrinkled.

2. A sign to be illuminated comprising an opaque support having configurative openings, a sheet of translucent cellulose material overlying the openings and having a substantially uniform thickness and having a front surface'substantially in one plane and visible through the openings, a thin coating of translucent cellulose material of variegated thickness adherent to and distributed on the front visible surface of the sheet of translucent cellulose material and causing the sheet to become wrinkled.

3. A sign to be illuminated comprising an opaque-support having configurative openings, a sheet of Cellophane material overlying the openings and having a substantially uniform thickness and having a-front visible surface substantially in one plane, an adhesive coating on the front visible surface of the material containing a translucent cellulose material deposited by the evaporation of a solvent and containing a solvent of the Cellophane material and distributed on the front visible surface of the sheet of Cellophane in such manner that the translucent cellu lose material forms a front surface of the com posite material having surface areas of different thickness for variegating the refractive powers of the composite material of Cellophane and the translucent cellulose material, the .composite sheet being wrinkled for variegating the reflective powers of the material.

4. A sign to be illuminated comprising an opaque mat folded upon itself to make two vertical portions, one of which constitutes the front portion and the other constitutes the back por tion, each of the vertical portions having aligned openings defining a configurative design, a sheet of translucent cellulose material overlying each opening, an adhesive coating of cellulose material containing an evaporable solvent, said adhesive coating being applied to a surface of each of the sheets of cellulose material, whereby,- upon evaporation of the solvent, the combined compositions of cellulose material overlying the openings have variegation of refractive and reflective powers.

5. The method according to claim -1, wherein the cementitious solution is applied unevenly to juxtaposed areas of two such translucent cellulose sheets which are then pressed lightly together and the solvent of the cementitious material then evaporated.

THERON B. LAKIN. 

